TEENAGER JAILED FOR BOMB THREAT TO OMAGH SAMARITANS
Teenager jailed for bomb threat to Omagh Samaritans
A TEENAGER who threatened to blow up the Samaritans' office in Omagh was yesterday jailed for 18 months.
Holly Monk (19), who lives with her grandparents in Yate, Bristol, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to six charges of communicating false information about a bomb hoax.
She had also asked at Bristol Crown Court for a further 49 "similar offences" to be taken into consideration.
The teenager - who was 18 at the time of the offences - had bombarded the emotional support charity's central helpline with 2,753 drunken calls over a four-month period last year.
James Cranfield, prosecuting, told the court that Monk's phone calls had been "farmed out" to various branches throughout the UK, from the Samaritans main number.
The teenager told a volunteer based in Gloucester that her brother was "out of his head" on drugs and was going to bomb the Bristol branch. The same threats were made to worried staff members throughout the country.
Monk also claimed that she was going to blow up the charity's Winchester, Omagh, Manchester and Bangor offices - although her local branch was the commonest target.
Her calls diverted vital resources away from other people who desperately needed help and made many volunteers question their own safety.
When she was finally traced by police through the mobile phone she had used to make the calls, she confessed to the hoax calls.
A TEENAGER who threatened to blow up the Samaritans' office in Omagh was yesterday jailed for 18 months.
Holly Monk (19), who lives with her grandparents in Yate, Bristol, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to six charges of communicating false information about a bomb hoax.
She had also asked at Bristol Crown Court for a further 49 "similar offences" to be taken into consideration.
The teenager - who was 18 at the time of the offences - had bombarded the emotional support charity's central helpline with 2,753 drunken calls over a four-month period last year.
James Cranfield, prosecuting, told the court that Monk's phone calls had been "farmed out" to various branches throughout the UK, from the Samaritans main number.
The teenager told a volunteer based in Gloucester that her brother was "out of his head" on drugs and was going to bomb the Bristol branch. The same threats were made to worried staff members throughout the country.
Monk also claimed that she was going to blow up the charity's Winchester, Omagh, Manchester and Bangor offices - although her local branch was the commonest target.
Her calls diverted vital resources away from other people who desperately needed help and made many volunteers question their own safety.
When she was finally traced by police through the mobile phone she had used to make the calls, she confessed to the hoax calls.
Further Information
Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Ref: BT/1000
Published Date: 07-Mar-06
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